By Andrew Kim
Coach Jeff Tedford had some words of praise for Nyan Boateng during Tuesday's media luncheon, citing the 6-foot-2 wideout's ability to block in the secondary. "He's blocking great," Tedford said. "He got hit of the week against Michigan State, he had two huge blocks. He had another one on Kevin Riley's broken play against Washington State. Kevin would've never scored if it wasn't for Nyan blocking downfield, doing a great job of blocking." There had been some stories about Boateng's not-so-positive reaction following Tedford's decision not to start him, but Tedford said he's since spoken to Boateng, and the two have come to an understanding of what it takes to be a starter.
It appears that the once-troubled receiver is on his way to converting his natural athletic abilities to on-field production. Boateng was a force with the second-unit offense against the Cougars, leading the team with four receptions for 44 yards. "I think he has been really conscientious about getting better and doing the little things and being more consistent," Tedford said. "He's done that in practice, he's practiced very well over the last three weeks, and it was nice to see him get a few catches last week."
TEAMMATES RECEIVE LOFTY PRAISE FROM YOUNG
Sixth-year senior Sean Young scored his first career touchdown against Washington State last Saturday, hauling in a 14-yard toss from Kevin Riley. He didn't quite know how to react. "It was kind of weird," Young said. "I was kind of looking at the referee to see if I had actually scored because I didn't know if there was going to be a penalty or something. It didn't register right away when I scored." A few days later, though, Young was able to reflect back on his score.
"Just to have it happen after everything I've been through, it's just kind of like, 'Wow, it was all worth it to come back and give it everything I have to make it happen,'" he said. "It was a great feeling. I called my dad and told him, he saw it, but I told him, 'That was for you.' It was really big for me and my family."
The wideout also offered some flattering comparisons for his teammates, particularly tailback Jahvid Best and cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson. Young said Best is the fastest athlete he's seen at Cal, and that Thompson is the best defensive back he's gone up against in practice, even better than a slew of present-NFL players like Daymeion Hughes and Thomas DeCoud during their college days.
"He's always progressing, he's always getting better," Young said of Thompson. "That's the really cool thing to see about him. He's getting better all the time. He's a totally different player than he was last year and the year before. Each year, his game just elevates."
ALUALU RELISHES NEW 3-4 SCHEME
Defensive end Tyson Alualu doesn't have a sack yet, and neither does the entire defensive line unit, but the three-down formation has managed to win over the junior. "I love this defense," Alualu said. "Especially because we've got All-American linebackers Zack Follett, Tony (Felder), Worrell (Williams). I wouldn't want any other linebackers in America." Though the soft-spoken lineman will quickly defer to his teammates as the defense's strength, Alualu has been a key cog on the edges as well, leading his unit with six tackles.
He said his size-6-foot-2 , 287 pounds as of Tuesday-makes him a good fit for the 3-4, where "it's almost like (he's) playing defensive tackle." Linebacker Zack Follett returned the favor when asked about the guys in the trenches. "They've been doing a great job, to tell you the truth," Follett said. "That's the biggest key to this defense. If you don't have a front three that can get the job done, then the teams will run the ball all over you. I give a lot of credit to them and what they've been doing."
TEDFORD REACTS TO END OF TREE-SIT
The final tree-sitter was removed during or shortly before the media luncheon. Tedford gave his farewells.
"I was amazed how much they did in one day," he said. "We left (for Pullman, Wash.), we knew it was happening, we came back and all the trees were down. "Do I think it will affect our recruiting? I think it will, yeah. I think we can say with confidence and clarity now that there's progress being made with our facilities, and that this new recruiting class will realize that in their time here, the advantages of having new facilities. I do think it'll make a difference as we move forward." Tedford also said that, although the fracas surrounding the tree-sit has been a "circus," he has actually gotten used to the commotion outside his window. "If you sit in my office every day, you get a little bit calloused of what's going on out there because every day there's an event going on," he said. "You know somebody's chanting something or beating some drum, doing something, so you really don't pay much attention to it. It's not much different that what goes on everyday, really, except for a few crane lifts and helicopters."
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